In the wake of today’s filibuster of the Manchin-Toomey compromise on background checks, Gabby Giffords pens an op-ed in The New York Times. An excerpt:
Speaking is physically difficult for me. But my feelings are clear: I’m furious. I will not rest until we have righted the wrong these senators have done, and until we have changed our laws so we can look parents in the face and say: We are trying to keep your children safe. We cannot allow the status quo — desperately protected by the gun lobby so that they can make more money by spreading fear and misinformation — to go on.I am asking every reasonable American to help me tell the truth about the cowardice these senators demonstrated. I am asking for mothers to stop these lawmakers at the grocery store and tell them: You’ve lost my vote. I am asking activists to unsubscribe from these senators’ e-mail lists and to stop giving them money. I’m asking citizens to go to their offices and say: You’ve disappointed me, and there will be consequences.
People have told me that I’m courageous, but I have seen greater courage. Gabe Zimmerman, my friend and staff member in whose honor we dedicated a room in the United States Capitol this week, saw me shot in the head and saw the shooter turn his gunfire on others. Gabe ran toward me as I lay bleeding. Toward gunfire. And then the gunman shot him, and then Gabe died. His body lay on the pavement in front of the Safeway for hours.
I have thought a lot about why Gabe ran toward me when he could have run away. Service was part of his life, but it was also his job. The senators who voted against background checks for online and gun-show sales, and those who voted against checks to screen out would-be gun buyers with mental illness, failed to do their job.
They looked at these most benign and practical of solutions, offered by moderates from each party, and then they looked over their shoulder at the powerful, shadowy gun lobby — and brought shame on themselves and our government itself by choosing to do nothing.
They will try to hide their decision behind grand talk, behind willfully false accounts of what the bill might have done — trust me, I know how politicians talk when they want to distract you — but their decision was based on a misplaced sense of self-interest. I say misplaced, because to preserve their dignity and their legacy, they should have heeded the voices of their constituents. They should have honored the legacy of the thousands of victims of gun violence and their families, who have begged for action, not because it would bring their loved ones back, but so that others might be spared their agony.
This article appears in Apr 18-24, 2013.
Well “Gabby”, I’m furious at you, your husband, the President, and all of the left wing liberals who continue to wave the bloody shirt, who continue to politicize the families of tragedies… Where is your outrage over the bomber in Boston? I didn’t here any comments from you in regards to a terrorist attack at Fort Hood. You should be ashamed of yourself!
Again, you’re puffing up your chest here and standing on some sort of soapbox of unfounded and overdeveloped entitlement and telling the world that people that got shot, shouldn’t be allowed to fucking try and take steps to ensure that crazy people that have access to guns are at least properly screened to ensure that they don’t just pick up an assault rifle and start popping rounds at other living beings.
And on top of that, you’re brazenly saying that they should be ASHAMED, for waving a “bloody shirt” to support their cause? When they’ve buried children, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and taken bullets themselves needlessly?
Shame indeed, you monster. You fucking hateful monster.
What really saddens and fills me with rage is that a large majority of the people who like the troll above, vehemently opposed this legislation, did not read or study the proposed changes for themselves, choosing only to parrot the chirping of an industry desperate to make more money.
We see it every year. “Oh, them left wingers are taking our guns away, stock up on ammo”. Then “Yes, we are having a massive AMMO SALE”. Then nothing fucking happens, companies line their pockets and laugh at the gullibility of stupid people with televisions and no ability to think for themselves. Our god damn right to bear arms is cemented in the fucking spine of our country. There is not one god damn amendment in the Constitution that has to date, been removed from the Constitution. AT ALL. EVER.
And it won’t fucking happen anytime soon.
Hey “proud whatever supporter” you seem to forget that the the blood on the shirt is hers. When did you ever shed blood for this country?
gun control is the ability to hot your target!
Yes!
The vast majority of Americans support NO GUN CONTROL…The bullshit polls are just that bullshit.
We need to enforce the present gun regulations. Then we need to see some gun control advocate support for holding folks accountable for fast & furious.
When folks see that the Govt. and gun control supporters are willing to hold everyone accountable, then you will see reasonable support for reasonable safeguards.
If you continue to talk down to supporters of no further gun control, you make their case for them. The president is the worst of all……
Calling folks like me who support no further regulation “liars” etc. when he has told many, many mistruths to the American people is not a good thing.
Obama’s lack of accountability personally, and for the actions of his administration is why the proposed regs. failed. Not because law makers are afraid of not being elected.
Remember, many folks like myself that support no further regulation voted for Obama. He is an awful leader.
The senators weren’t acting cowardly. The proposal on the table wouldn’t have done any good. It was simply a “feel good” measure.
Gabby, I ask you then IF the intent was only to strengthen background checks WHY was all the emphasis put on banning Sporting rifles, banning hi capacity clips and making it harder for law abiding citizens to obtain guns. Mental disease was hardly talked about and enforcing the end results of a failed background check was laughed at. For the record I stand behind enhanced background checks but the presentation told me you were more interested in disarming Americas law abiding citizens.
I fail to see how extended background checks add up to disarming people. I think the anti-gun control folks just don’t have the &*%%s to say that they prefer that the rest of us remain hostage to their supposed God given “right” to carry a killing machine. I definitely didn’t agree with Gabby when she was a politician–too much support for killing machines of all kinds–but I certainly agree with her now. WHAT ARE YOU ALL SO SCARED OF, you big tough-talking violence loving 2nd Amendment supporters? Do you really think the legality of your guns will make a difference if you feel you have to take over the big bad government? Please take all your fears and put them towards something more constructive than supporting a mulit-million dollar industry that thrives on death.
Sorry Betts, you’re wrong. The emphasis was NOT on background checks until the very end. Even then statements such as “This is only the beginning”, “We are not stopping here”. were openly stated. The agenda was clear. My question to you is WHAT are THEY afraid of when they refuse to ENFORCE the law? Please note that I am not shouting however I am adding emphasis.
Betts, may I simply copy and paste what you wrote -but according to Mr. NRA Guy, without the shouting, just adding emphasis – (is this how silly and childish the anti-reform people have gotten in their arguments?)
Can’t everyone see who the real winners are here? The gun manufacturers!!! Not the gun owners. One is spending a wad of cash, the other is raking it in by the millions. So, who owns Broadway and Park Place? Who needs the get out of jail free card? Who passed GO! and collected $200? Who wins Monopoly? (MONOPOLY, FOOLS!!)
You all would be able to keep and collect as many guns as you wanted. Maybe, eventually, not a bazooka or a rocket-propelled grenade, two things on the banned list. Frankly, I wouldn’t want to be your neighbor if you had any military weaponry. Sorry, fellas. Don’t find that sexy. Also don’t find also the expletives in this thread very sexy, nor appropriate for public civilized debate or exchanges. TW needs to control it’s trolls.
The Senators did the right thing. This Bill, and the others similar to it, were a blatant attempt to politicize a tragedy for a political agenda, and to be able to say, “we did something.”
The press and the Democratic spin machine did their best to gin this up as something else, but it did not work. However, we need to remain vigilant, because these same spinmeisters will be back again. They are still lurking in the shadows.
Gabby Giffords was at a political rally, or neighborhood meet and greet when she was shot. The Constitution and its amendments are political documents that define our country. In this country and in this day and age, buying a Prius or Subaru is a political statement. There is a difference between the bombing at Boston and a mass shooting in a mall parking lot, or grade school…but don’t fool yourself, all of these issues are political. Seems like Giffords of all people, as well as the survivors of victims have every right to be and speak politically, or to politicize these events, as does the NRA and it’s constituents. It’s called the freedom of speech, and yes that is political also. In my “political” opinion, the gun enthusiasts and NRA radicals who are crying politics when someone like Gabby Giffords speaks out with authority, are responding with paranoia and fear and a lack of sensitivity. They are afraid they won’t have their guns.
Accusing leaders of being negligent about dealing with mental illness….what would you (the NRA and gun enthusiasts) suggest? Violent mental illness is not easy to predict. Privacy laws protect us all. Will you hold a violently mentally ill person down and force feed them medication? Will you monitor them 24/7? Hell, most patriotic “Americans” don’t want to pay taxes for for some of the most basic things like public schools, who will pay to monitor the violently mentally ill, even as if that were a solution. Gun enthusiasts must be willing to sacrifice their selfishness for the good of the community. Our senators and representatives are weak and owned by the lobbies. Now that’s political!!!
Homicides committed with firearms peaked in 1993 at 17,075, after which the figure steadily fell, reaching a low of 10,117 in 1999. Gun-related homicides increased slightly after that, to a high of 11,547 in 2006, before falling again to 10,869 in 2008. The only thing that has changed is the amount of people who are buying and learning to use guns has increased dramatically. That clearly proves that people need guns to protect themselves and that an armed public is a safer public. Ask any LEO who is honest and they will tell you that guns save more lives than they take. If it were the numbers of peoples lives and children’s safety that the gun grabbers were concerned about they would concentrate a little more attention to tobacco products. More deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined. It’s an addictive drug that our government encourages you to use so they can tax you more. Where is your outrage over tobacco? Could the reason be that the MSM propagandist news isn’t spewing propaganda about tobacco?
Today Joe Biden was quoted as saying when questioned that, NO, the gun ban would probably not have prevented Newtown and NO, it probably would not have prevented any of the recent mass shootings, and NO it probably wouldn’t stop future shootings, so why did they have Newtown families up there crying about these obviously ineffective gun laws that do nothing but limit gun owners ability to defend themselves? Well, it is a start in their ultimate goal of totally banning law abiding Americans from being able to defend themselves.
Even Sen. Feinstein says background checks would not have prevented the Sandy Hook shooting. Maybe if you limited magazine size to 7 rounds you might have saved a half dozen kids if he didn’t have several preloaded magazines. If he only had a single action six shooter he could have reloaded it several times and killed them all in the 20 minutes it took the police to respond. Remember, when seconds count, the police are only minutes away.
Robert Jennings second contribution speaks exactly to the paranoia that I described earlier. When you have even victims like Gabby Giffords as an avowed gun owner, this country will never totally ban law abiding Americans from owning guns. It is protected by the constitution. I guess fear is political as well.
If we could do something to save lives….to save one life. Background checks will not ban guns, but they will help to insure that the mentally disabled and violent criminal will at least not get the guns legally. It is one small step.
There is a great amount of education that continues to go on about informing sane, well adjusted people about the dangers of smoking. We are free to choose to smoke or not smoke. Ignorance of the facts of smokings health dangers is simply irresponsible, and self destructive. The analogy doesn’t make sense to me especially when there have been laws passed that restrict cigarette sales to minors, advertising restrictions, and sin taxes applied to smoking products.
Support and enforce existing gun laws. Removing guns from the public isn’t the right answer is just the easiest one!!!
And Gabby I know you are in there or I would bother answering your call! Please understand that I am insulted by the cowardice of the Senators who brought this Bill to a vote! Why? Because not one of them will say that this Bill would have prevented your or any of the gun murder tragedies they have used to promote this effort! It is a political sham using emotions in place of real action, same old politics as usual that HAS NOT WORKED! A Minnesota Law Professor released a study earlier this month that shows us clearly that Americas gun murder story is a tale of two communities. It shows that gun murders in the communities that vote Democrat have 13.6 gun murders per 100,000 in population; the Republican voting communities have 2.1 gun murders per 100,000. A difference of 650%, why this is important is it explains why Republicans are reluctant to donate their 2nd amendment Rights to a cause that is so obviously out of touch with the solution. What is the solution? Clearly we know the solution isn’t going to be found in one more law, a magic law that will cure our ills. The Democrat areas that have 650% more fun murders have far more laws than the Republican areas that have 650% less gun murders. Why would any sane person think that exporting the failure of the more law concept out of the Democrat areas would be good for the Republican areas? It isn’t, clearly the answer lies in analyzing why do the Republican areas with fewer laws have 650% LESS gun murders? What’s the answer? Well what I know is that the answer which undoubtedly would illuminate the course of action that must be taken isn’t politically correct to discuss, so what do we do? We do the same thing we have done after each tragic event involving gun murders, gin up emotion pass a law or two claim things are better, blame the Republicans for the problem and effectively kick the can down the road until inevitably since nothing was actually done to address the real issues history repeats itself. The “brave” Senators were the ones who voted NO, and let’s not do the same old BS and call it good, let’s find out why the Democrats and their method of passing law after law has failed resulting in their communities having a 650% increase in gun murders! Back ground checks for gun deals that represent 1.9% of the transactions mostly in Republican communities that result in a gun being used in a crime isn’t a real effort to stop gun murders, if we want a real effort let’s focus on why the Democrat voting areas have a 650% HIGHER gun murder rate even with the most restrictive laws in place! A tale of two communities, communities one of which has a 650% larger problem than the other who sees the problem as eroding rights being bigger than gun murders because their communities problem is 650% smaller than those pushing more law, which Republican communities can clearly see as a failed method of addressing the issue! Let’s work together, not cram more failure for the sake of emotion and politics as usual down our throats!
I love you Gabby but get real!
Bill Heath Local business owner
Obviously the laws against drunk driving don’t work because people still drive drunk and kill people, so let’s get rid of that law. Same with laws against murder…people still murder each other, so let’s get rid of those laws, too. In fact, we don’t need no stinking laws of any kind, so let’s just give everyone a gun and let ’em work it out.
Drunk driving is a good example, it is against the law, people do it, and more laws will stop it? No, we take away the right to drive from those who abuse that right, we enforce laws that exist. The bombing in Boston shows clearly what I am saying, it isn’t want is used to kill; it is the will to kill that we need to identify and stop. Again if an area had 650% more drunks in it would we look to export those laws from the drunken areas to areas that have 650% less drunk driving? NO! That would be like patting down old ladies at the airport to stop terrorists, ignorant. We need to profile those who would kill, not make more law that only those who obey laws will be affected by. If you want to fight drunk driving the battle is with the drunks not the cars or the other drivers! THINK!!!
Oh boy…
Gabbie Giffords has tragically earned the right to take her position and defend it as she chooses. As a responsible owner of several handguns and long guns, some inherited, I saw no big offense in the tepid law as proposed. The NRA, on the other hand, is insisting that access to everybody ensures everybody’s safety. I think that is walking through crazytown.
ronko says: Background checks will not ban guns, but they will help to insure that the mentally disabled and violent criminal will at least not get the guns legally. It is one small step.
Bill says: What? I am reasonable if the background checks would include a mental health evaluation I might go for that but it doesn’t, there are background checks now, the problem isn’t private sales, that’s a complete waste of time 1.9% of the gun sales, the problem is in the areas that vote Democrat they have a 650% increased gun death problem they want to solve by passing laws? If laws where the answer their communities would be the safest instead of the most violent. Allowing people with phobias to make laws that only serve to itch their phobia has this country tied into knots! You want to save “one person” let’s look at why the Democrats allow organizations (which they accept election donations from) like Planned Parenthood to locate in our cities and abort Black children at a rate 400% higher than any other ethnic group. You don’t take away our Constitutional Rights for gunophobic reasons to maybe save one child when you could save thousands by just questioning the Democrats blind support of Planned Parenthood! Don’t talk about “saving children” as a reason to take away my gun rights with a plan that is half baked and stinks as bad as the Democrats relationship with Planned Parenthood! Let’s put our experts to work developing a profile that in 50-100 questions helps weed out a mental case from buying a gun but don’t forget they have access still to stolen guns and their mother’s guns! I refuse to donate any of my Rights to a cause that isn’t worthy of my sacrifice now I know some think so little of these Rights they want to donate them for me, I say BS, hands off my Rights I will donate them if and when the cause justifies such, this Bill was a politics as usual joke and not worthy!
Crinkster says: I wouldn’t want to be your neighbor if you had any military weaponry.
Bill says: And some people say the same about homosexual neighbors, homophobia and gunophobia are both mental illnesses from the same place in the brain! What your neighbor has in their bedroom isn’t of your concern and statistics show especially if you live in a Republican voting area you have little to fear from what’s in your neighbor’s bedroom unless you are in there!
I used to think that I lived in a developed and sophisticated culture. Hit the shower, if the temp isn’t quite right, simply turn the knob a quarter of an inch and experience the perfect…AHHHHH. A perk I really appreciate for living in the 21 Century. Go to an art museum, grab an espresso or cappuccino, later hit the grocery store, and find Artufolo Mangos ripe and ready for lime and chili, wonderful baked bread, whatever one needs or desires. Got a question about some esoteric minutia, google Wikkipedia. Want some off the beaten path item, gizmo, gadget? Hit the internet/Ebay. Like unique wine, beer, mustard? Easy to find. Impress your friends by sharing it all at a dinner party. Opera, theater, sports, independent movies…that’s what enhances a good, full life. Friends, family, freedom and security. Fact is the world is still the wild west. We just have Kohler toilets, text messaging, and solar panels. It’s a jungle out there baby. Pack a glock, wear kevlar, look out for that back pack, it may contain a pressure cooker. Is that teacher packing a gun? In my absent mindedness did I piss off a gun enthusiast with a hair trigger? That student I gave a B- or C+ to, is he pissed and packing? Watch your back brother…you ain’t my brother…..
I think the American government as well as all us citizens spend way too much time debating the same thing over and over, and usually not coming to any solution when there are far greater concerns on the table for our country, rights, and lives as we know it. Our nation has done a great job over the last few hundred years at only looking at the here and now, without any care or forethought for the future and its outcome. What happened to Gabby and those people is terrible, so is the men that fought and lost their limbs and lives in our military service for hundred of years. Those people’s family proudly carry guns and know the bigger picture of our rights and liberties as Americans, and what we will loose all together the more we hand things over because someone made a big enough deal about it. I personally feel Gabby should be advocating mental illness issues, if anything, and have some humanity herself.
my 2 cents: there are 300 million guns NOW in America. Any idea of picking them all up is stuck in La-La land. You know it and so do I. Forget it. #2 Handguns are the cause of more problems than long rifles, and are easier to hide. Why the big deal on “assault” rifles. #3 “buy a shotgun(?)” C’mon, Joe. Most s/guns will knock over a tiny woman, a .223 will shoot a banana clip without so much as a bounce. Check it out. Easy to hold, easy to shoot. #4 Stop belly-aching about gun makers profits. They should be so lucky. Ask them. #5 Gabby…the idea is to pass laws that are “EFFECTIVE.” Not just something that feels good, vis-a-vis Assault Weapons Ban (Feinstein-it didn’t stop anything). So naturally, what does Congress do, since the old ban didn’t work? Passed it again? Right?
I’m not going to throw a blanket over all gun owners because I know some who are sane and can hold an intelligent conversation and discussion about this topic. The rest of you thinking the government is coming after your hardware are whacked.
How many guns are enough? You only have two hands. What do you personally use your guns for? Hunting? Target shooting? And the only people who better say they use them for protection better be people who live out in the sticks. Otherwise, we have trained and paid law enforcement to protect us. “To protect and serve.”
I can not remember ever hearing on the news a single incident when someone needed to use there own deadly force by gun to defend themselves in Arizona in populated areas. So don’t give me that crap line. Re-read the second amendment and then put it in the context of when it was written in the 18th Century, What do you think the framers REALLY intended? I say the modern National Guard as the well-regulated militia, not roaming gangs.
I think you all will do or say anything to justify your opposition agsinst common sense reforms.
By the way, how do you feel about the NRA opposition against placing taggants in explosive materials. Law enforcement was hindered in identifying the materials in the Boston Marathon bombs because they couldn’t trace the gun powder. Thanks, NRA.
As recently as 2011-2012, bombings have increased 400% over the past 20 years and over that time prosecutions and investigations have been hindered by the lack of taggants in the explosives. Justice delayed, resources wasted. All as a result of the long reach of the arms of the NRA.
I think that just plain sucks. Sorry.
…and I’m furious about you lack of effort on border security Gabby. Where were you when we needed you? Courting ranchers that would say everything was OK. That was after Douglas Krentz was killed.
We deserved better than that.
P.S. We are going back to Iraq. Thanks for that too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yUtirCf-RfU
oh, everyone, knock it off. All this gas isn’t going to get us anywhere.